By Christina Murchison

Giant eels and massive tiger sharks are among hundreds of newcomers swimming at the North Carolina Aquarium after a $25 million, two-year expansion effort.

As tourism grows in North Carolina, the aquarium is bringing more marine life into its tanks to meet the need for education about aquatic life.  Lion fish, octopuses, sea horses, jelly fish and a giant moray eel are among salt water and fresh water species donated by North Carolina aquariums and Florida facilities.
Situated on the North Carolina coast between Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach, the aquarium is funded by a public-private partnership between state and aquarium supporters.

Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for ages 62 and older and $6 for children ages 6-17.  Children under age 6, members of the North Carolina Aquariums and registered North Carolina school groups are admitted free.  Advance sales of 50 or more tickets are discounted 25 percent.

After 2 1/2 years of construction and gathering of watery inhabitants, the North Carolina Aquarium opened “much bigger and better,” with 93,000 square feet of aquarium space this past May, said Julie Powers, public relations coordinator.
Its new theme, “Habitat from the Mountain to the Sea,” exhibits more than 3,000 animals that represent North Carolina’s aquatic habitats from the mountains to the sea, including a River Otter exhibit. 

Jellyfish exhibits, a stingray touch tank, mountain trout pool and a sportfishing exhibit are among the 38 exhibits on display at the aquarium.  The exhibits are  in five galleries using  430,000 gallons of fresh and salt water.

One of the stars is a six-foot green moray eel donated by the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

“That’s a pretty nice size,” said Stuart May, director of Husbandry and Operations.  “The big ones are really impressive.”

True to its species, the eel’s body is thick, muscular and covered in a protective mucous that gives it a greenish color.

But the green moray’s trademark is its menacing mouth. Green morays sport multiple rows of slanted teeth on double-hinged jaws, which they continually open and close to circulate water over their gills. This motion fortifies their bloodthirsty appearance, although they rarely bite humans unless surprised or provoked.

The aquarium also houses two gray triggerfish, a gag grouper and some striped bass, donated by the Atlantic City Aquarium.

The husbandry staff frequents area waters to collect animals for the new aquarium and will be doing more as additional aquarists are hired.

The 306,000-gallon Living Shipwreck, the centerpiece of the Ocean gallery, showcases 350-pound sand tiger sharks, schools of fishes, stingrays and other animals against a backdrop of a U-352 replica. The real World War II German submarine sank off Cape Lookout in 1942.

The Tidal Waters gallery features the 50,000-gallon Queen Anne’s Revenge and a near-shore community of marine life. It depicts the underwater scene near Beaufort Inlet where (close to the aquarium) Blackbeard’s flagship went down in 1718.

For more information about the aquarium expansion, call 252-247-4003.